


For The Night

by onlyhereforellick



Series: Fictober ‘19 [12]
Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, fictober 19, post s16, sometime post 17x03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 01:28:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21007445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlyhereforellick/pseuds/onlyhereforellick
Summary: And that was all he needed to close the minuscule gap left between them and press a delicate kiss to her lips. Breaking away just barely, Nick murmured across her lips, “I can see it now...I promise.”





	For The Night

**Author's Note:**

> fictober 19; prompt 12: “What if I don’t see it?”
> 
> so I miiiiiiight have to take a tiny step back from fic writing, life’s about to get real busy and I just don’t think I’ll have a ton of time to do this & the blog 😔

The moment Gibbs mentioned bringing back Charlie and Luis, Nick’s entire mood brightened. For whatever reason he’d been having an off day...again. Acting distracted and ignoring her unless absolutely necessary. To her surprise, when Gibbs suggested they go undercover to a high profile art gallery opening to gather intel on a suspect, Nick was all for it. She half expected him to make up some excuse for why he couldn’t do it, like he didn’t know enough about art or something. But, here they were, donning black tie formal wear for the most prestigious gallery opening DC had seen in the last several years. 

Ellie had decided to splurge on a new dress for the occasion, it wasn’t like she got out much, she had to enjoy it when she could—even if it was just for work. A form-fitting backless black dress with a high halter neckline that split down the middle for just enough display of cleavage, it wouldn’t be over the top, but it would add just enough glamour to blend in with the crowd seamlessly. That, and the the thigh high split that extended from the hem of her dress, reaching to just the perfect height to still conceal her gun on the inside of her thigh. She paired the ensemble with a bright red lip, gold chandelier earrings, and nude pumps that she could kick off in a flash if things went south and she needed to run. Looking at herself in her bathroom mirror, she put the finishing touches on her sultry makeup, and gathered her hair in a low tousled updo at the nape of her neck. A quick content sigh escaped her lips the same time she heard Nick’s signature knock. 

_Not a date_, she reminded herself for the upteenth time,  _not a date_.

She may be enjoying prettying herself up, but she’d do well to remember Nick still wasn’t  _really_ talking to her and this was an assignment. 

From her bedroom she called out, “Come in!” as she gathered her clutch that housed her badge and holstered her gun. One last look in the dresser mirror with a satisfied smile she walked out to the main room to meet Nick.

He was turned around grabbing a drink from the fridge, so she had a second to drink in the perfectly fitted back to his tux, custom tailored pants that highlighted some, uh- assets, if you will. Her body temperature started to slowly rise, hoping he got the reference she let out a, “Woof.”

He spun around with the hint of a smug grin, before it instantly morphed into a slightly shocked, mouth half hanging open face as his eyes slowly took in her entire frame. Letting out a low whistle as he came back up to her face he graced her with an appreciative, “Woooow.”

Immediately she smiled, it felt so nice to be admired, even if it  _wasn’t a date_.

“You look gorgeous, El,” Nick added stepping towards her and grabbing her right hand with his left. He motioned for her to twirl, and she happily complied, effectively displaying the long split that highlighted her toned legs. That got her another low whistle. 

She stopped facing him again and gave her own appreciation, now seeing the front of his tux, perfectly fitted to his built frame. “You look pretty damn good yourself, Nick,” she said with a wink.  _That_ was an understatement, she’d gotten a peek at how he looked underneath that tux when they found him drugged on a boat—let’s just say, he looked  _much_ better than just ‘damn good.’

He still held his hand in hers and she followed his gaze to their intertwined fingers, she felt a blush start to creep up her neck and she thanked her previous self for the halter neck. But her eyes caught something shiny on Nick’s ring finger, “Is that a—“ she started to ask, but couldn’t finish the question, overcome with a myriad of emotions that ranged between contentment and jealousy and much more. 

Instead of replying, Nick unlaced his fingers and reached into his pocket while simultaneously dropping to one knee. Her heart dropped to the floor. He opened a ring box with a stunning solitaire situated on the velvet pillow and her breathing faltered. 

“Charlie, love of my life, will you marry me for the night?” Nick, or Luis she realized, asked her with a smirk on his face. 

Mentally shaking herself for her brief daydream, she let out a quick chuckle as she answered, “Yes, of course, Luis.” At the same time she started to pull Nick off his knee, he went to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. Whether or not he lingered, well that was up for interpretation... 

He slipped the ring on her left hand and motioned for them to go. “And now our backstory is intact, what a wonderful way to celebrate our first anniversary by going to a fancy-pants gallery opening!” He supplied, only minimally sarcastic. 

Locking her apartment door, she allowed herself a brief second to imagine this was the real thing and not an undercover recon task. A hint of a smile graced her lips and she left it there as she turned to join Nick on their short walk to his car. 

———

The beginning of the night had gone smoothly. Their seamless cover was aided by little touches, light kisses on her cheek, cute whispers in her ear. If you asked her if she pretended it was all real and not for show, she’d deny it, but deep down she knew, Ellie was in love. 

So when Nick placed his calloused hand on the cool skin of the small of her back and dipped his head to her neck, she tried to conceal her sharp intake of breath as being surprised at whatever the speaker was presenting. The warm breath of his whisper in his ear almost did her in as he asked, “What if I don’t see it?” And she could hear the vulnerability in his tone masked by his usual teasing banter. 

Swept up in the pressure of his hand, the feel of his breath tickling her skin, she figured a little white lie couldn’t hurt. She whispered back, “I’d tell you I don’t see it either.” He pulled back to see her face and smiled. The first genuine smile she’d seen in a little while. Ellie didn’t have the heart to tell him that she saw in the sculpture exactly what the speaker was describing. Besides, she wouldn’t have gotten to experience the way his eyes lit up when he looked at her after. 

So yes, she continued to milk it the rest of the evening. They did their recon and returned to Ellie’s apartment late late that night. As she started to pour a glass of red wine for each of them with her back turned to Nick. She felt his fingers dance along her exposed skin, flirting with the edge of her dress, at the same time she heard him speak to her in a low, gravely voice, “I know you lied, Ellie.” 

She sucked in a breath through her teeth and froze. She had been on thin ice previously with him, she really didn’t want to go back there. Nick spun her around with a bit of pressure from his hand and waited till she looked him in the eye. 

“Thank you,” he stated simply. 

“You’re- you’re not mad?” she stuttered after a second, incredulous. 

“No, I’m not mad. I know you did it to help ease my nerves,” he replied. 

Applying a touch more pressure to her back he pulled her closer to him. 

Dropping her voice to just above a whisper, she had to ask, “Nerves? But you’re never nervous undercover.”

“Nervous because of you-, you belong there and I don’t, above all else I didn’t want to embarrass you.” He paused for a brief moment to gesture at her frame, “plus when you’re dressed like  that a guy is gonna be nervous.”

Her cheeks colored pink and her chin dipped down, but he wasn’t done.

Using his free hand to tip her chin up again, he continued, “You’re sexy as hell tonight, Ellie. And frankly,” he grabbed her left hand, toying with the ring, “I wish this wasn’t fake.”

She stared at him, caught off guard by the honest confession. She whispered gently, “me too.”

And that was all he needed to close the minuscule gap left between them and press a delicate kiss to her lips. Breaking away just barely, Nick murmured across her lips, “I can see it now...I promise.”


End file.
